Results
TOPEKA, Kan. – For the second-straight weekend, the Cloud County women's track and field team saw a school-record fall as the distance medley relay team ran the top time in the NJCAA to lead the T-Bird women to four new national qualifying marks at the 2024 Washburn University Ichabod Invitational inside the Washburn University Indoor Athletic Facility in Topeka, Kansas.
No team scores were kept for the two-day meet, which featured a mix of NCAA Division I, II, NAIA, and NJCAA schools competing.
The distance medley relay team consisting of
Mercy Angaamchaab,
Rafiatu Nuhu,
Nontokozo Ncube, and
N Vanee Anchike managed to combine for a time of 12:01.47 to take second place behind only the top team from Wichita State University featuring CCCC alumni
Lucy Ndungu running the anchor leg as part of a time of 11:52.52. The time run by Cloud County eclipsed the old record time of 12:17.62 that was set in 2021 and is nearly 14 seconds faster than the second-best time in the NJCAA this season that was run by Iowa Western.
Adding to the top performances from Friday's action saw Nuhu take first-place out of a 32-runner field in the 600-yard run by running a meet-record time of 1:24.77 that converts to the third-best time in the 600-meters in the NJCAA this season (1:34.95). Three additional top-10 marks were produced on Friday, with
Shackala Henry taking sixth in the triple jump with a national qualifying mark of 11.50 meters (37 ft. – 8.75 in.) before a seventh-place finish in the high jump (1.65 meters, 5 ft. – 5 in.), and
Adrienne Locke-Garcia taking ninth in the shot put (13.04 meters, 42 ft. – 9.5 in.).
Saturday featured a pair of national qualifying marks led by an eighth-place finish from Angaamchaab in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.39 to become the third T-Bird in the event to qualify for the national championship meet while
Ozia Trujillo ran a time of 5:15.61 in the mile run to punch her ticket to nationals. Ahead of Angaamchaab in the 800 meters was Ncube with a third-place time of 2:15.14 and Anchike who finished fourth with a time of 2:15.52 to record two of CCCC's four top-five finishes on the day. Other top-five finishes for the T-Birds came in the pole vault with
Elizabeth Dunham and
Bradie Medina both clearing 3.25 meters (10 ft. – 8 in.) to take third and fifth place, respectively while Locke-Garcia took eighth in the weight throw after a mark of 15.73 meters (51 ft. – 7.25 in.).
What's Next?
Coming up short last season in a quest for a third-consecutive NJCAA Region VI Indoor Track and Field title, Cloud County will attempt to overtake 2023 Region VI Indoor Track Champion Barton in the 2024 meet which is set to begin on Saturday, February 17th from the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kansas. CCCC scored 153 total points last year to come up nine points shy of Barton who scored 162 points in what became a two-team race with Fort Scott a distant third with 111 points. Action will begin on the 17th and carry over into the 18th when a team title will be awarded in the final meet before the 2024 NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships for Cloud County.
